Curious how butterflies evolve across Europe? Me too!!! Let's join forces in sampling butterflies and moths across Europe, studying their evolution across latitudes and through seasons. Help start LepEU, the European Lepidopteran Population Genomics Consortia #LepEU 1/n

A succinct review of #Biopriming plants against pests!

Growers should heed this warning about fungal pathogens of plants like #PowderyMildew, #Fusarium, #Botrytis: They adapt constantly and vigorously, and one great mutation will get copied 1,000,000-fold in a season or two, changing the game for everyone.

Apparently, sweet potato has been naturally #transgenic with #Agrobacterium genes since at least its development as a species, possibly earlier.

If mowing grassland, make sure to give uncut refuge areas for arthropods!

When you know how much each of these apex predators punches above their size category, it's amazing to see one succumb to the other. Tiger beetles constantly dash so fast they can't process their visual input, while robber flies catch extremely fast (and slow) insects in air.

Ever see parasitic plant colonization of its host in such detail?

#Mycorrhizae Hyphal Highways!

I'm impressed with the anatomical congruence of these Two-spotted Spider Mite figures! Great body shape with the darkened caeca pouches (these have been feeding!) and tiny red simple eyes!

Before there were flowering plants, there were insects, many of which fed on decaying organic matter. Some of the first (and so, oldest) pollinator insects were beetles and flies, and before fragrant flowers plants that developed sulfuric, charnal scents that attracted them!

#Lethrus with these jaggedly-lobed downturned mandibles and heavily armored body are really neat. I think this genus sometimes digs or drags plant material so the development probably helps!

This is the biopunk tech-tree development I expected: designer microbial consortia. Creatine-producing bacteria that, like their natural microbial analogs, support activity under sleep deprivation. Not remediating sleep but deprivation-maxing, best for emergencies.

Researchers are out indexing aphids for viruses (here in Australia) as a service for growers generally. There's so much infrastructural support subsidized by governments which increases the success of farmers across earth.

初夏を感じる． アカシジミ (Japonica lutea (Hewitson, 1865), The Orange Hairstreak, Aka-shijimi)

From many traits, emergent "megatraits" with effects greater than the sum of their parts.

#Phytophthora infestans, a pathogen of various plants, produces an effector called AVRcap1b (red) that interrupts the construction of an immune product called a resistosome (green).

Majestic!

Sasagani here is amazing for recording this bola-spider, #Ordgarius sexspinosus! The adroitness of a Director!

Striking color, obviously a wasp mimic but still amazing!